Not enough DNA – expert

The defence’s DNA expert in the trial of alleged axe murderer Henri van Breda told the Western Cape High Court yesterday that there was not enough DNA in 40 samples taken from the crime scene to yield valid results.

Dr Antonel Olckers faced her third day of gruelling cross-examination in the trial of 22-yearold Van Breda, pictured, who is accused of the axe murders of his parents and brother, and the attempted murder of his sister at their home in a security estate in Stellenbosch in January 2015.

Olckers told the court that “one cannot make a valid conclusion from an invalid interpretation” and this was the case in 40 samples. Of the 216 samples collected, Olckers received and analysed the data of 151 samples.

Earlier in the trial, state witness and chief forensic analyst Lieutenant-Colonel Sharlene Otto told the court “no unknown DNA” had been found on the scene. She also told the court the police forensic laboratory had had no problem finding DNA in the samples.

But Olckers told the court where there is not enough DNA, “whatever profile you get is invalid. It should not be used.”

Senior state prosecutor Susan Galloway said to “prevent the guilty from going free and the innocent from going to jail” one would expect the forensic laboratory to go further than that. She referred to Otto’s testimony that 0.05 nanograms of DNA evidence was needed for a result.

Olckers insisted Otto had used “only the qualitative data and not the quantitative data”. Otto had “remained silent” on foreign peaks found in a sample, but they could be an indication of the presence of a low-level profile.

But Galloway accused Olckers of manipulating the data.

Galloway told the court the foreign peaks could have been from two domestic workers.

Olckers conceded that the peaks could not be explained. “I can’t categorically say if it’s an allele or part of a profile.” At least nine alleles are needed to extract a profile. – ANA